The Osceola times., 1887-04-23
AN AWFUL FIGHT.
A Combat Betweel a Tiger and a
Lion.

After an encampment OF two weeks
at Bangalore, we moved to the north
west for thirty miles, and made new
camp on creek which emptied into
the Cauvery river, twenty miles below
us. There had been no shooting done
in this neighborhood for many years,
for the reason that a fever plague had
carried of hundreds OF the natives and
depopulated many of the villages.
Game had had an opportunity to in
crease, and we had reason TO look for
ward to some exciting sport A native
hunter, living near Scringapatam, and
who was with us in charge of the serv-
ants, had been told by good authority
that lions and tigers had come into the
abandoned district until they were as
plentiful as harcs, and that we should
hnd hunters paradise.
We pitched our camp on cleared
spot on the right bank of the creek,
which had two feet of water in it and
was about ten feet wide. 1t was a
billy country all about us. with the
ground fairly we'll timbered. Half a
milo below us was an abandoned native
village, and many acres of ground
which had once been titled were now
grown up to bush and weeds. We went
into camp about an hour before sun
down of Il summers day, and the tents
had not yet been pitched when one of
the natives routed out and killed a
poisonous snake ten feet long, and an
other declared that he saw a panther
moving in the thcket across the creek.
We cut down the smaller trees and
bushes and built n strong inclosure for
the riding horses and pack animals, and
then ran n breastwork of brush clear
around camp. a lion or tiger could clear
ii at n bound, but neither beast ever
enters an inclosure of hand. He must
be pressed by hunger or desperate
with rage 1t had just come to be twi-
light, and we were still working at the
north side of the inclosure, when the
fact that we had big game at hand was
proved in a sorrowful way. A native
young man about seventeen years of
age, who was one of the brush cutters,
was engaged with others about 800 feet
from where we were at work. 1t was
the last load To be brought, and he was
last Of all. He was picking up his load
when a tiger sprang upon him from the
bushes. Every one of us heard the
Cnarl Of the beast and the cry of the
man. and indeed there was the whole
scene right before our eyes. The vic
tim, as he was hurled TO the earth. fell
upon his face. The tiger seemed to
turn him over three or four times, and
then seized him by the shoulder and
started of with him-not into the
thicket right at hand, but across 200
feet of perfectly open ground toward
the creek
For few seconds all of us seemed
turned TO stone. Then there was n
rush for the rifles, which were FORUM
nately near at hand. There were three
or four old soldiers and tiger hunters
with us, and their presence of mind
brought about the death of the beast.
Some of us would have hesitatcd to
fire, KNOWN that our bullets would
be as apt to hit the servant rs the tiger,
but two or three men shouted for every
body to blaze away, and five or six re-
ports followed one another in quick
succession. These men reasoned that
the native was already mortally hurt,
and that it would be better for him to
die at once by one of our bullets than
TO be carried off and eaten alive. |
have personally known of four or five
cases where men have been seized by
tigers, and | have talked with hunters
VINO knew of many other cases, and
there was only II single instance where
the victim escaped the fatality of the
spring When the tiger leaps he also
strikes with his forepaw, and the blow
Is terrific.
The beast and his burden were
about half way across the open
when they fell in heap; the tiger
was up again in a second. whirled
around like top, and then, with u
fierce growl, he seized the native again
with his tcethand resumed his progress.
We were advancing as we fired, but the
tiger did not increase his pace by a
second, and between the reports Of the
rifles we could hear him growing in a
savage manner. Handing my empty
rifle to servant, | drew my revolver
and ran full at the animal from an
angle, determined that he should not
escape. He bore off q little to avoid me
as | opened fire. knew | hit him, for
saw him vince, but he kept straight
on TO the bank of the creek, and after
taking a new hold of his burden he
made spring, landed on the other
side and fell into heap, dead. The
servants crossed and brought over both
bodies. 1t was with the native as the
tiger hunters had suspected. In leap
ing upon him the animal had given
him blow which broke his neck. The
one cry we heard was all that he ut
tered. When we came TO look his dead
body over, we found that four of our
bullets had hit it, but he was dead long
enough before shot was fired. In the
case of the tiger, he had been hit nine
times, and three of the bullets had
reached vital spots. One of his fore
legs was broken, and he had carried his
burlcn the last thirty feet and made